Writing policies again, why do we do 'Settling In'??

[Katymac]

?settling in? provides:
? the carer with valuable insight into the child?s routines, personality and emotional needs
? The parent with a gradual withdrawal of contact leading to emotional stability, contentment and reassurance when work commences.
? The child with shorter periods of instability and insecurity leading to security and happiness when they are settled

But it all looks wrong somehow - can anyone tweat it?

This is my first bit (which maybe stolenborrowed from someone here)

Settling-in ? I feel very strongly that an effective settling-in period is vital for the safety, happiness and health of your child. Changes, of any sort, can cause stress levels to rise in children and a new childcare setting is a prime example of a stress trigger. Structured settling-in sessions can help to manage the child?s expectations and stress levels. Depending upon the age and stage of development of your child, settling-in can be as little as a 10 minute meeting and up to a graduated pattern of leaving your baby which may take up to a couple of months. As long as you can fit in with my times available and are prepared to take my advice on the length of each session, these are free, providing contracts have been signed and the first payment made.?

Personally, I think I would try to avoid negative words like stress, instability etc, and accentuate the positive benefits of settling in, as it could all sound a bit frightening to a new parent.

What about suggesting initial visits with the parent staying for say half and hour or so?

All I've got in my general info for new parents is:'"Before starting, Child Detail forms and Contract forms (incorporating a trial period) need to be completed, and visits and settling in discussed)." !! Recently had an ofsted inspection and they made no comment about it.

It is part of a much longer policy (hopefully) detailling the sot of settling in sessions I expect

My 'Settling in' is, according to OFSTED "very enlightened" but I want to write it down & formalise it as I have had a few parents who would rather not participate & I want to make it clear that it isn't optional

I agree about the negative words, that is why I am looking for a bit of help

How about something along the lines of

Settling in - This is the time before your child formally attends my setting when they can visit with their parents/carers and stay for a while to get to know me, the other children and their new environment with the reassurance of having you there too. It is very important that your child has had an opportunity to spend some time here with us before their actual starting day as this will help them to feel a little more settled and confident about their new environment. It also provides an opoortunity for you to ask any questions and find out a little bit more about how your child will be spending their day. Different children need different amounts of time for settling in. However, I strongly encourage parents and their children to vist on at least ? occassions before their first day (free of charge providing contracts have been signed and the first payment made). The length of these visits can vary but do need to be agreed in advance with myself

That is good Coral - a successful settling in I did this year was:

Please see below our proposed sessions for settling XXX in:

Wednesday 15th 2 10.30 to 12.30
Friday 17th 2 1.00 to 3.00

Monday 20th 2 9:00 to 11:00
Wednesday 22nd 2 10:30 to 12:30
Friday 24th 3 9:00 to 12:00

Monday 27th 4 9:00 to 1:00
Wednesday 29th 4 10:30 to 2:30
Friday 1st 9:00 to 2:00

Monday 4th 5 9:00 to 2:00
Tuesday 5th 6 10:00 to 4:00
Friday 6th 8:00 to 2:00

Monday 11th 5 8:00 to 1:00
Tuesday 12th 8:00 to 4:00
Friday 15th 8 8:00 to 4:00

Monday 18th 5 8:00 to 1:00
Tuesday 19th 10 8:00 to 6:00
Friday 22nd 9 8:00 to 5:00

Starting the next week doing:
Monday 8:00 to 1:00
Tuesday 8:00 to 6:00
Thursday 8:00 to 6:00

So I do go a bit overboard - but it is so worth it imo

I do nee a bit more I think - any offers?

It is really interesting to see how everyone approaches settling-in but I was puzzled to see that you Coral offer settling-in without charge provided you have a signed contract and future payment. Am I doing it wrong because I have always charged for settling-in - I cannot see the difference - I am working and should be paid for it. Whilst I am mindful of the difficulties the parent may face in leaving their child (in fact I usually find the parents have the bigger problem than the child in making the break!), I am very wary of a settling-in period of more than 3-4 sessions depending of course on the length and frequency of those sessions.

Milleneium - I think Coral was paraphrasing me

TBH my settling in has come from children who after 7 months of caring for them have had to leave because they never settled. Constant screaming is no good for the child, the parent or the carer.....not to mention the other children.

Since I started my extensive (& demanding on parents) SI - I have had a much easier job.

Remember I have 9 children here each day (generally they have been under 2 - but that is changing) when 1 starts the others frequently follow & I find a structured settling-in is of benefit to all of us

Bump for more thoughts

Settling in
This is the time before your child formally attends my setting when they can visit with their parents/carers and stay for a while to get to know me, the other children and their new environment with the reassurance of having you there too.
It is very important that your child has had an opportunity to spend some time here with us before their actual starting day as this will help them to feel a little more settled and confident about their new environment.
It also provides an opoortunity for you to ask any questions and find out a little bit more about how your child will be spending their day.
Different children need different amounts of time for settling in. To start with there will be 10 sessions at which I would encourage you to stay for the first two sessions then encourage your child to spend some time with us without you present to get them used to you leaving and coming back. Following the initial 10 sessions we will review the situation and further settling in sessions may be needed, or we may decide that your child is ready to start.
Settling in sessions are free of charge, providing contracts have been signed and your first month's advance payment has been made.
The length of these sessions can vary but do need to be agreed in advance, so that it does not adversely impact the care of other children and fits with our regular routines, activities and outings.

Benefits of Settling In Sessions:
~ Your child benefits from your gradual withdrawal and knowing that you will come back at the time you say you will collect them.
~ Your child benefits from emotional stability, contentment and reassurance though meeting us and learning our routines, leading to security and happiness when they are settled.
~ You benefit from seeing how we work on a day-to-day basis, see some typical activities, meet our staff and pets.
~ You benefit from having short periods of time away from your child, so that you can build gradually to being away from your child for your working day.
~ We get to know you and your child better.

Thanks Nick - that is what I needed yesterday Damn

You are a star Nick - I just had a tricky letter to write & I don't think it went well

Oh dear, tricky letters are never fun to write. Breaking bad news were you?

Sorry I couldn't help you last night with the policy, I was in mobile mode so typing lots is a bit tricky!

What the others said about positive comments rather than negative. I do charge for settling in. I stress to parents that it is important not only for the child, but for the parents to get used to the arrangements in small bites before the big 'return to work' day. Not much help, but just agreeing with you and the others really. I would definitely try to avoid words like 'stress'.